Against everyone’s advice, Eyja had gone to swim in a shallower pool filled with seaweed. Predictably, she had become entangled in the mess. When she had emerged from the water covered in slimy, brownish strands, a veritable maritime monster reminiscent of the sea god Njord himself, everyone had burst out laughing at the apparition. Her hair had been so tangled with the sticky algae that it had proven almost impossible to comb when she’d reached home that night, and there had been talk of cutting it right back. Torsten had been the one saving the day. Young as he was, he had made a comb with spaced out teeth that had allowed Frigyth to restore the hair to its usual slickness. For days, though, Eyja had smelled of the sea and glowered at any villager who dared remark on it.
“I’d never seen Eyja so vexed,” he commented, remembering the expression on their friend’s face. To her utter annoyance, theboys had called her Njord for weeks after the incident. Aife had been the only one kind enough not to tease her. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so vexed since.”
“No. And even though it’s been years, I think anyone who values their life should avoid mentioning it to her. Even Moon might not get away with it.”
Torsten let out a scoff. “Aye. He might well lose a part of his anatomy if he dared remind her of how she slipped on the slimy rocks and, because of the weight and the slipperiness of the seaweed, could not get up until he and Eirik lifted her back to her feet.”
“You could have gone to help her,” Aife accused, letting out a fresh burst of laughter. This one was joyous and light, nothing like the sultry richness that never failed to rouse him. Instead of stirring his senses, it tugged at his heart, which was perhaps even more worrying. “You were closer.”
“I was, and so were Steinar and Sven. But we were laughing too much to move, and being the imp’s brothers and used to seeing her get herself into all manner of trouble, we thought it fair to let others deal with her for once.”
“Mm. I suppose. She’s always been reckless, has she not?”
She sounded rather envious, which surprised him. Surely Aife didn’t think herself dull? She was nothing of the sort. “Yes, she has. She wouldn’t have done half of what she’s done otherwise.”
He knew Aife would understand what he was talking about. A few years back, his little sister had taken the rash decision to go to war. Disguising herself as a boy, she had joined the army of Saxons recruited to fight the Norse invaders. Fortunately, Moon, who had gone also, had taken care of her and made sure she came back home unscathed. It was during that adventure that his friend had come to see the imp in a different light and fallen in love with her.
At the time Torsten had wondered how Moon could prefer a woman he’d grown up with to a more exciting stranger, but now he thought he understood. There was something wonderfully soothing in knowing someone so well you didn’t have to explain yourself or hide your worst traits. They knew and accepted you the way you were. Aife certainly did. The two of them had shared so many wonderful moments… And now, of course, they would have the memory of their night in the Roman ruins to go back to.
By the gods, but it had been unlike anything he could have imagined. Never in his wildest dreams would he have believed that his childhood friend would be the one to introduce him to the delights a man and a woman could experience together. And there were so many more to be discovered… Would he want to explore them with someone else? Would he be able to? Or was Aife the only woman capable of coaxing a response from his body?
Silence replaced the laughter, and the air suddenly became thick with sensual tension. Torsten could have sworn Aife was thinking of what they had done in the ruins as well. His cock, already stirred by her laugh, was now fully erect, and threatening to poke a hole in his braies. Damnation, his tunic was barely long enough to cover it. Was Aife aware of the state he was in? He hoped not. He didn’t dare move for fear of drawing attention to the lower part of his body and making her uncomfortable. For now, she was looking straight into his face and something like lightning was flashing in the blue irises.
“Let’s go get the cockles, shall we?”
That word… He would never hear it again without thinking of her and what she’d unwittingly told him earlier.
I woke up this morning in the mood for cock.
Though she hadn’t meant it like that, the shocking words had been uttered, and he would never forget them.
“Yes,” he agreed. “Let’s go get these cockles.”
Before he tumbled her to the ground and begged her to let him prove that he had really overcome his fear of lovemaking.
Aife handed him one of the two leather pouches and gave him her rake, saying that he could use it, since he was new to it. It would be easier that way. She would use a stick for once. “And tomorrow, when the cockles have had time to purge themselves, you can come to my house and we’ll eat them together.”
“With pleasure.”
He could watch her eat something she enjoyed all day, be it cockles, or…well, other things that sounded similar. Damn it all. He had to stop thinking such things, or his erection would never go down. For someone who had doubted his virility for so long, it was disconcerting to see his body respond so readily. But with this woman, he seemed to be in a constant state of arousal. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or horrified.
After giving him one last smile, Aife took her pouch and headed toward the rocks to the left of the beach in search of a piece of driftwood with which to dig up the cockles. Alone at last, and able to focus on something other than the way his body behaved, Torsten crouched down. He had never been cockles-picking before, and in truth, he was more at home in the forest. What should he look for? He should have asked Aife before she left, but he’d been too distracted.
He watched her, some distance away, bent over, raking the wet sand with a two-pronged stick, her hips swaying with the movement. His groin stirred again and he focused his attention back to the task at hand.
In vain. When she joined him a long moment later, he’d only found five shells, while her pouch was already half full.
“You are made for this. I’m impressed,” he said, straightening his back.
By the gods, not only was this hard, but it was back-breaking work as well. How did Aife manage it so easily? She was a wisp of a girl.
“I find that greed is the best motivation, don’t you?” she answered, laughing. “Worry not, I won’t let you starve. You can have some of mine tomorrow.”
Aife’s laughter died in her throat because Torsten was looking at her strangely, much like Sven had earlier that day, as if he saw something different in her. Or rather, as if he’d only just noticed something that had always been there, something he’d been waiting—hoping—to find. Somehow the difference seemed important. Sven had thought her glowing because she had changed, in his opinion. Torsten found her fascinating because he was seeing her for who she truly was.
“What is it?” she breathed.
“I love your laugh,” he told her, his voice hoarse.
